Black Friday sales are dividing both shops and shoppers

They were scenes that shamed Britain. Footage of a woman being dragged along the floor of Asda's Wembley superstore, fighting off all-comers in a desperate bid to cling on to her bargain 40in flat-screen television, summed up the pandemonium which now accompanies Black Friday.

So as retailers gear up for this week's sales bonanza and police prepare to divert vital resources towards crowd control, will the naked greed and mayhem which has disfigured the post-Thanksgiving innovation exported from the US, cause shopper fatigue? Not exactly. Despite the havoc provoked in 2014, a YouGov poll for VoucherCodes found that shoppers who missed out last year are behind a predicted increase in sales this weekend, with around half of those planning to get stuck into Black Friday and Cyber Monday, reporting that they did not previously participate.

Britons are expected to spend £3.49bn over the four days commencing with Black Friday, with online sales alone predicted to rise 16 per cent. Some 14.7 million shoppers will spend £1.19bn on credit cards, with “peak chaos” set for 1–2pm on Friday.

On this occasion however, the high street is split between retailers welcoming the bargain hunters and those sending a clear message that they will no longer be part of the rampage.

Asda has concluded that Black Friday is simply bad for business. The scenes beamed around the world proved embarrassing for the Walmart-owned brand. But, more important, the madness drives away regular customers. Customers “don't want to be held hostage to a day or two of sales,” Asda's CEO Andy Clarke says.

Heavy discounting merely depresses sales in the run-up to the event and encourages shoppers to bring forward all their December spending. Shops suffered a surprise slowdown in sales this month ahead of Black Friday, the CBI reported. Other brands that have concluded there is no profit in Black Friday's margins include the fashion chain Jigsaw. Peter Ruis, chief executive of the brand, says: “We're not cheap so if our customer has to save up to buy something, we don't then want them to feel ripped off if it is reduced a couple of weeks later.”

Yet it's Black Friday business as usual for Argos and Currys PC World. Form an orderly queue (if you can) for the Samsung UE60JU6000 Smart Ultra HD 4k 60in LED TV, normally £1,500 but now £899 at Currys. John Lewis' commitment to being “Never Knowingly Undersold” means it too is obliged to offer “even more deals”. House of Fraser is teasing shoppers with a “keep your eyes peeled” message on its website.

Even upmarket stores are dipping their toes into the whirlpool. Don't say it too loudly but Harvey Nichols is taking 25 per cent off fashion and accessories. “Harrods will not be taking part,” a spokesman affirms. However, shoppers are invited to enjoy the store's Festival of Christmas campaign, which runs across the weekend and includes 10 per cent reward discounts, free scarves and “complimentary hot stamping personalisation on all Louis Vuitton purchases”. Amazon, which introduced the concept to many UK purchasers, has taken the sting out of Black Friday by launching its reductions on Monday.

In the US, Black Friday has moved on from grappling with TVs. The hottest deals this year are 25 per cent off dental saving plans and household pets.

“What better way to deliver wow than with a free furry pal during the holiday season?” asks online retailer Zappos.com, which is sponsoring a cats and dogs adoption plan.

It's increasingly a fact, though, that Black Friday gifts aren't for life, let alone Christmas, which spells bad news for the dogs and mogs. A quarter of disappointed shoppers said that they regretted purchases on the day and returned at least some of the items bought, according to a survey by retail consultancy Blue Yonder. As black as it's painted? Perhaps.